The Atlantic: The 50 Best Podcasts of 2019, compiled by Laura Jane Standley and Eric McQuade. They've recused The Atlantic's own podcasts.

[see also 2018]

1. Finding Fred
2. The Ballad of Billy Balls
3. Dolly Parton's America
4. 1619
5. Anthem (Homunculus)
6. Root of Evil: The True Story of the Hodel Family and the Black Dahlia
7. Headlong: Running from COPS
8. Confronting: O.J. Simpson with Kim Goldman
9. Still Processing
10. The Daily
11. This American Life
12. BROKEN: Jeffrey Epstein
13. This Land
14. Ear Hustle
15. Man In The Window: The Golden State Killer
16. Making Gay History (Stonewall 50)
17. Fiasco
18. Uncover (The Village)
19. Radiolab
20. Fatwa
21. Why Is This Happening? with Chris Hayes
22. You Must Remember This (Six Degrees of Song of the South)
23. School Colors
24. The Longest Shortest Time
25. Gay Future
26. Sick
27. 30 For 30 Podcasts (The Sterling Affairs)
28. Embedded
29. Mobituaries with Mo Rocca
30. Throughline
31. The Hurricane Tapes
32. Blackout
33. The Dropout
34. Slow Burn (Season 3)
35. Switched on Pop
36. Sonic Boom
37. The Moment
38. The Stakes
39. The Open Ears Project
40. Rough Translation
41. The Big One
42. Love + Radio
43. Scattered
44. Mogul
45. Sooo Many White Guys
46. Spooked
47. Tell Them, I Am
48. The Last Days of August
49. Freaknik: A Discourse on a Paradise Lost
50. StartUp (The Final Chapter)

Sarah Larson: The Best Podcasts of 2019, as published by The New Yorker

[see also 2018]

1. Dolly Parton's America
2. Headlong: Running from COPS
3. Uncover (The Village)
4. Intrigue (Tunnel 29)
5. 1619
6. Reply All
7. Anthem (Homunculus)
8. The City (Reno)
9. Richest Hill
10. Trump, Inc.

Huffington Post: The Best Podcasts of 2019

• Headlong: Running from COPS
• 1619
• Underunderstood
• Tell Them, I Am
• We Share The Same Sky
• Scattered
• Julie: The Unwinding of the Miracle
• Nice Try!
• Dolly Parton's America

Associated Press: Top 10 Podcasts of 2019

1. To Live and Die in LA
2. 22 Hours: An American Nightmare
3. Conan O’Brien Needs A Friend
4. Confronting: O.J. Simpson with Kim Goldman
5. Gladiator: Aaron Hernandez and Football Inc.
6. 1619
7. Believed
8. The Viall Files
9. Armchair Expert
10. Office Ladies

Nicholas Quah: The Best Podcasts of 2019, as published by New York Magazine’s Vulture

[see also 2020, 2018]

1. Lost Notes
2. 1619
3. Moonface
4. The WALKING podcast
5. Bundyville
6. Have You Heard George's Podcast?
7. Headlong: Running from COPS
8. 10 Things That Scare Me
9. The Last Days of August
10. The Hottest Take Sports Podcast

Time Magazine: The 10 Best Podcasts of 2019

[see also 2018]

1. 1619
2. You're Wrong About...
3. Blank Check
4. The Last Days of August
5. Moonface
6. Decoder Ring
7. Scattered
8. Conan O’Brien Needs A Friend
9. Mobituaries with Mo Rocca
10. Spectacular Failures

Wired UK: The 33 Best Podcasts of 2019, a list that includes their own podcast

• Heavyweight
• The Wired UK Podcast
• Binge Mode: Star Wars
• Brexitcast
• You're Dead to Me
• Call Your Girlfriend
• Citations Needed
• Hit Parade
• The Dream
• The Secret History of the Future
• Ear Hustle
• Against the Rules
• Articles of Interest
• Exponent
• The Week Unwrapped
• The Political Party
• Full Disclosure
• Eat Sleep Work Repeat
• Bombshell
• Believed
• Lovett or Leave It
• 99% Invisible
• The Adam Buxton Podcast
• The Dollop
• How Did This Get Made?
• The Tip Off
• Caliphate
• The Habitat
• Exponential View
• Reply All
• How I Built This
• Ctrl Alt Delete
• No Such Thing As A Fish